Radio communication devices, particularly hand-held two-way radios, portable telephones, and pagers, are fast becoming a staple of modern society. It is not uncommon to have one or more of such devices on one's person in order to maintain vital communication links. There has been an increased desire to have the functions provided by such devices integrated into a single device, and for the single device to provide access to a variety of information sources in addition to its basic communication functions. For example, it is known in the art to provide a one-way radio device, such as a pager, with periodic broadcasts of information from a variety of sources, in addition to standard paging functions. This type of information is generally available to communication devices that support paging services.
While broadcast service is satisfactory for the information requirements of some, the need for customized information has made such service inadequate for others. For many, it is essential to have ready access to a wide array of information sources available through public or private access networks. Although such access is common for users of networked computing devices, these information sources have traditionally not been available to users of radio communication devices used primarily for voice communications. Radio communication devices tend to be designed for operation in tightly coupled systems using narrow band and low bandwidth channels. These channels represent communication resources that must be carefully managed to ensure delivery of high priority functions.
With the increasing demand for integrated services, it is desirable to provide access to data on external information networks for a two-way communication device operating within a tightly coupled radio communication system. Such access should be provided in a manner that facilitates ease of use and that minimizes impact on higher priority functions of the communication system.